Friday, October 28, 2016

The mystery MFSK32 transmission
which has been heard occasionally before and after the VOA Radiogram broadcast
Saturdays at 1600-1630 UTC on 17580 kHz was not heard last weekend by any
listeners in Europe. It was heard by Mike in Washington state, at about
1542 UTC. The fact that the transmission was heard only on the US west coast
introduces some interesting propagational questions about the station’s
location. The mystery station also now seems to be transmitting before the North
Carolina transmitter signs on at about 1545 UTC with an open carrier. Let me
know if you hear and/or decode the transmission this
weekend.

Many of us have noticed more
hum on the 50+ year old transmitter in North Carolina. The strongest
manifestation of the hum within the passband is at 360 Hz. This mixes with the
VOA Radiogram MFSK32 signal which, centered on 1500 Hz, extends from about 1250
to 1750 Hz. The “ghosts” above and below the main MFSK32 trace is caused by
mixing products: 1250 minus 360 = 890 Hz; 1750 plus 360 = 2110 Hz; and all
frequencies between. Roger in Germany provided this
illustration:

For the most part the ghosts do
not adversely affect the decoding of the MFSK32. However, the Fldigi RxID is
sometimes spoofed by the lower ghost, resulting in Fldigi thinking that the
digital mode is centered on 1140 Hz. This prevents a successful decode unless
you set Fldigi manually to a center frequency of ~1500 Hz.

This weekend’s VOA Radiogram
will be all MFSK32. Let’s hope the adverse effects of the geomagnetic storm that
started on 25 October will have subsided by Saturday and
Sunday.

Here is the lineup for VOA
Radiogram, program 187, 29-30 October
2017, all in MFSK32 centered on 1500 Hz …

The Mighty KBC will transmit to North America Sunday
0000-0200 UTC (Saturday 8-10 pm EDT) on 6145 kHz, via Germany. A minute of
MFSK32 will be at about 0130 UTC. KBC will also transmit to Europe Sunday, 30
October, at 1200-1300 UTC, on 6095 kHz. A minute of MFSK32 will be at about
1230 UTC. Reports to Eric: themightykbc@gmail.com .

IBC (Italian
Broadcasting Corporation) has a broadcast to
Europe on 6070 kHz and new 3975 kHz, Wednesdays, at the new time of
1800-2100 UTC. The MFSK32 and Olivia 16-500 are still at 2030-2100 UTC. IBC has
also added a medium wave transmission Saturday 2000-2030 UTC from Radio Studio
X, 1584 kHz, in Terni, Italy, with MFSK32 at 2025-2030. IBC also has MFSK32
transmissions via WRMI in Florida: Friday 0125-0200 UTC on 9955 kHz (Thursday
9:25 pm EDT), part of its 0100-0130 broadcast. And Saturday at 0155-0200 UTC
(Friday evening 9:55 pm EDT), on 11580 kHz, part of its 0130-0200 broadcast.
See http://ibcradio.webs.com/ for the complete schedule and
contact information.

Thank you for your
reception reports. I made some progress this past week sending out the galleries
from program 181. More emails will be sent this weekend.

Monday, October 24, 2016

Product: Weekly Highlights and Forecasts:Issued: 2016 Oct 24 0702 UTC# Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Weather Prediction Center# Product description and SWPC web www.swpc.noaa.gov/weekly.html## Weekly Highlights and Forecasts#Highlights of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 17 - 23 October 2016 Solar activity was very low to low with a single C-class flare observed on 17 Oct. At 17/0038 UTC, a C4 flare was observed fromRegion 2599 (S15, L=144, class/area Cko/460 on 05 Oct) which had rotated around the southwest limb on 15 Oct. A nine degree long filament, centered near N26W02, was observed erupting in SDO/AIA 304 and GONG imagery at about 20/1300 UTC. A slow-moving, faint CME wasobserved in LASCO C2 imagery with possible effects observed on 23 October. No proton events were observed at geosynchronous orbit.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit ranged from normal to very high levels. On 18 Oct very high levels were observed, with a peak level of 52,137 pfu. High levels were observed on 17 Oct and 19-22 Oct. Normal to high levels were observed on 23 Oct. Geomagnetic field activity during the reporting period ranged from quiet to active levels. Quiet to active conditions were observed on 17 Oct and tapered into quiet to unsettled levels through 19 Oct due to the waning effects of a CH HSS. Quiet conditions were observed from 20-22 Oct under an ambient solar wind regime. Quiet to unsettled conditions were noted 23-24 Oct due to a SSBC and initialCH HSS effects.

The solar wind environment was above background levels on 17 Oct under the influence of a CH HSS with wind speeds between 700-800 km/s. Wind speeds gradually tapered to background conditions on 18-19 Oct. Winds increased again to around 450 km/s and minor enhancements to total field were observed on 23 Oct due to a SSBC and weak CH HSS effects.

Sunday, October 23, 2016

A feast of Cuban vocal music with Los Van Van for dessert…From beautiful
harmonies to stunning a cappella imitations of instruments, Cuba’s best vocal
groups are a delight.

Our October 25 (October 24 in the Americas on WBCQ)
program offers a few of them along with special guest Luz Divina Reyes, Director
of Vocal Elé. We’ll include a little Los Van Van from the 90s, so come to
listen, stay to dance.Two options for listening on shortwave:WBCQ, 7490
KHz, Tuesdays 0000-0100 UTC(8pm-9pm EDT
Mondays in the Americas)Channel 292, 6070 KHz, Tuesdays 1900-2000
UTC(2100-2200 CEST)See the NOTES section of our Facebook page for
instructions for listening online if you are out of range or don’t have a
shortwave radio.

The upcoming time changes across the world will affect us as follows:1.
The Channel 292 transmission will remain at 1900-2000 UTC, when the clocks
change in Europe (Oct 30), this will mean 2000-2100 CET rather than 2100-2200
CEST).2. The WBCQ transmission will remain at 8pm Eastern time US, which
means that when the clocks change in the US (November 6), we will be from
0100-0200 UTC
(William "Bill" Tilford, Producer.)

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Following a successful summer evening broadcast in August, we plan the start of a new broadcasting season, on Sunday October 23. FRS-Holland will be heard across Europe on 31 meters on 9300 (stand by frequency 9335 kHz) // 7700 kHz.

In addition FRS will be on 6070 kHz in the afternoon. The five hour evening will include the usual ingredients: great music, numerous items including the Day Calendar and radio related items. For detailed program information take a look at the program schedule below.

Streaming
Choosing for ‘the best of both worlds’ FRSH goes for broadcasting on short wave in AM and digital high quality web streaming. Listeners can make their choice out of two streams.

Remarks: on Sunday October 30, marks the start of Winter time--> UTC+1 hour.

QSL-cards: Understandably reception reports and letters with comments are much appreciated and will be verified with a QSL card from our current series ‘FRS through the Years’. Each QSL of this series shows an 'element' which played an important part in FRS' 36 year life.

Friday, October 21, 2016

Hello friends,
The mystery MFSK32 signal returned last weekend. It was heard and decoded by
VOA Radiogram listeners throughout Europe just before and after the Saturday
1600-1630 UTC broadcast on 17580 kHz. Last weekend it was upper sideband. If the
signal returns this weekend, any reception before 1600 UTC might be complicated
by the carrier from the North Carolina transmitter, which usually starts around
1545 UTC. If you hear and/or decode the mystery signal, please let me know.

Radio Pushka (Радио Пушка) is a new addition to the Channel 292
schedule on 6070 kHz, with some MFSK32 and SSTV. See the schedule
below.

VOA Radiogram program 186, 22-23 October 2016, will be all MFSK32
centered on 1500 Hz. Here is the lineup

The Mighty KBC will transmit to North
America Sunday 0000-0200 UTC (Saturday 8-10 pm EDT) on 6145 kHz, via Germany. A
minute of MFSK32 will be at about 0130 UTC. Reports to Eric: themightykbc@gmail.com .

IBC (Italian Broadcasting
Corporation) has a broadcast to Europe on 6070 kHz and new 3975
kHz, Wednesdays, at the new time of 1800-2100 UTC. The MFSK32 and Olivia
16-500 are still at 2030-2100 UTC. IBC has also added a medium wave transmission
Saturday 2000-2030 UTC from Radio Studio X, 1584 kHz, in Terni, Italy, with
MFSK32 at 2025-2030. IBC also has MFSK32 transmissions via WRMI in Florida:
Friday 0125-0200 UTC on 9955 kHz (Thursday 9:25 pm EDT), part of its 0100-0130
broadcast. And Saturday at 0155-0200 UTC (Friday evening 9:55 pm EDT), on 11580
kHz, part of its 0130-0200 broadcast. See http://ibcradio.webs.com/ for the complete schedule and contact
information

Radio Pushka (Радио Пушка) will
broadcast via Channel 292 in Germany, 6070 kHz, Sunday, 23 October, at 2000-2100
UTC. The broadcast will include MFSK32 and Scottie 1 SSTV starting after 2054
UTC. See http://radiopushka.blogspot.pt/ for
more information.

Thank you
for your reception reports. I read them all, even if I can't respond promptly.
I'm still sending out program 181 galleries.

Please be advised that today, 21 October 2016 Marconi Radio International will once again be on air, as follows: 1800-2000 UTC on 5700 kHz (new frequency) USB mode with an unscheduled test broadcast.

Reception reports with audio clips (mp3-file) are welcome and confirmed by a "solid" QSL card! (Please note that reports on reception via remote web sdr receivers will be acknowledged ONLY by electronic QSL).

Our regular weekly broadcasts on Tuesdays are confirmed with the following schedule, which remains valid until the end of October: 17.00-21.00 UTC on 7700 kHz (USB Mode) with 100 watts. This means that next transmission will be on 25 October 2016.

Last but not least, we need your help! If you are a DX blogger, or use social networks, please post an announcement on your own blog and/or Facebook or send out a tweet. You can also forward this message to a friend. This should help increase our potential audience.

We hope to hear from a lot of shortwave listeners about our transmissions.Best 73'sMarconi Radio International (MRI)

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

On
this occasion here in Wavescan, we pick up this the next episode in the very
interesting ongoing story of the famous mediumwave and shortwave station KDKA
in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania; and in particular, we briefly examine each of the
callsigns, mostly shortwave, that were associated with this historic radio
complex.

But first, we review a very
remarkable sports event that has never yet been superseded.It was back on Sunday December 8, 1940 that
the Chicago Bears played the Washington Redskins at Griffith Stadium in
Washington DC for the final championship game of the year for NFL, the National
Football League.It was a sellout event
with a record attendance of 36,034 and not a spare seat anywhere.A special train carried 1499 excited fans
from Chicago to Washington DC for this historic sports occasion.

The Press Box facilities at Griffith
Stadium were overtaxed with 150 media personnel; newspaper, radio, and even the
very new TV.The Mutual Network had
bought broadcasting rights for this climactic football clash, and their
programming was fed nationwide to 120 stations.It was the first occasion for nationwide coverage in the history of
sports and radio in the United States.Other radio networks also gave wide coverage to this sports matchup
emanating from the national capital.

It
was an exciting game; it lasted a little over 3 hours, and there were many
injuries, some major.Among the reported
injuries: One player broke three ribs, there was a bruised kidney, a broken
fist, and a hurt knee.So many footballs
were kicked into the stands and scored by attendees that sports officials asked
for some to be returned.All available
new balls were taken into play, old practice balls were used up, and the final
scoring point was taken with a scroungy old resurrected ball.

This historic game that was played a
little more than ¾ century
ago, ended with an impossible score; the Chicago Bears beat the Washington
Redskins with the unbelievable tally 70 - 0.This has to be a record high, or maybe a record low, never equalled in
any other NFL game, and probably never matched in any other form of popular
sport either.

Radio station KDKA in Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania was aware in advance of the popular enthusiasm attached to this
highly publicized sporting event in the national capital.Thus, on Sunday December 8, 1940, station
management gave the order to place all available KDKA transmitters on the air
simultaneously, and thus ensure maximum coverage; local, national and
international.The young Broadcast
Engineer J. William Miller, just 20 years old at the time, stated that the 50
kW mediumwave KDKA and 5 or 6 shortwave transmitters were all airborne for this
striking radio occasion.

So what were all of these
transmitters and callsigns that KDKA had at its disposal back then?The FCC had mandated that each transmitter
should be identified with a separate callsign, and in addition to that, some
transmitters were given more than one callsign, depending on what form of
broadcast activity was involved.And to
complicate the issue still further, some forms of licensed activity could be
performed by more than one transmitter, yet still under the one callsign.

At the time when radio broadcasting
station KDKA was born in 1920, there had already been a slew of licensed
wireless stations on the air in Pittsburgh, and perhaps even more that were
unlicensed.Beginning in 1915,
government documents show at least 10 wireless stations in Pittsburgh before
KDKA, including of course the famous amateur radio operator 8XK with Frank
Conrad.During World War 1, Westinghouse
was permitted to operate two special wireless stations; 2WE at the factory, and
2WM at Conrad’s home, his own
8XK.

Early
in the year 1920, Fred Conroy from the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh gave a
wireless demonstration at the Westinghouse factory with his station 8XC.At the time when KDKA was inaugurated later
that same year on November 2, a temporary call was affixed, 8ZZ.

The callsign 8XP was allocated to a
small portable transmitter back in 1921, and this was used for the relay of
offsite programming back to the main KDKA facility.In 1923, 8XP, listed at 200 watts, was
installed in the Presbyterian Church with the antenna wire running up the
steeple.This callsign 8XP was
subsequently applied to other KDKA transmitters, sometimes fixed and sometimes
portable.

In
August 1922, a new 1 kW shortwave transmitter 8XS was co-sited with KDKA on the
rooftop of Building K at the Westinghouse factory at East Pittsburgh, and this
was used to relay KDKA programming to the two mediumwave stations, KDPM in
Cleveland Ohio and KFKX in Hastings Nebraska.Three years later, Frank Conrad transferred his amateur callsign 8XK to
Westinghouse, and the call 8XS was relinquished and returned to the FRC,
Federal Radio Commission, the forerunner to the FCC.

In 1924, callsign 8XAU was licensed
as a special land station for use at the factory, though during the following
year this callsign was deleted and instead, the call 8XK was implemented.Another special land station during the 1920s
was 8XAV, though this unit, rated at 20 kW, was in use for television
experiments in the 2 MHz range.

Some historic documents give the
callsign 8XI to Westinghouse during World War 1 and they state that this
station was a forerunner for the Westinghouse shortwave station 8XK.However, this information is incorrect.Back during the Great War, the call 8XI was
held by the University of Pittsburgh, not Westinghouse.

However, Westinghouse was allocated
the by then relinquished 8XI callsign on July 31, 1928, long after 8XK was
already on the air.This second
application of the callsign 8XI was for 20 kW on a variable range of shortwave
channels.Three years later, on February
28, 1931, the Westinghouse usage of this callsign 8XI was deleted.

During the year 1923, the FRC
announced that all mediumwave stations in the United States should adopt
callsigns composed of three letters, not four, and therefore KDKA was to become
WKA.However, this unpopular move was
never implemented.

In 1937, the callsign 8XKA was given
to another Westinghouse transmitter for experiments in what was called the
ultra shortwave bands, the forerunner to modern FM.A main channel for this unit was 55.5 MHz,
which was heard back in those days in both Australia and New Zealand.Twenty years later again, Westinghouse
inaugurated a new FM station KG2XIU in what has since become the standard
international FM Band 2.

Well, that’s all we have time for today in this
episode of the story of KDKA, which over the yearshas utilized 16 shortwave callsigns.More on a coming occasion.

Monday, October 17, 2016

Our October 18 (October 17 in the Americas on WBCQ) program offers a
potpourri of reissues of Cuban music from prior decades and some more Cubadisco
2016 nominees - a mixture of traditional and contemporary.

This is now the eighth occasion in which we have made a visit to the picturesque Cook Islands in the exotic South Pacific. In each of these feature presentations, we have examined the fascinating radio scene on each island, and also throughout this entire islandic nation as a whole.
In our program today, we make a radio tour of three more of the exotic Cook Islands, one of which has been described as the Island of Beautiful People. We begin today’s program with a quick glimpse at the radio scene on the island of Manihiki.

Manihiki Atoll, known as the Island of Black Pearls, is also the top of an underwater mountain, with a central lagoon 2½ miles across, surrounded by a string of 43 small islets. More than a hundred underwater pearl farms are operated in the lagoon.
Back in the colonial era, there was an unsuccessful attempt on the part of the Polynesian people in

Tahiti to annex Manihiki for the French. Over a lengthy period of more than 1½ centuries, the United States laid claim to Manihiki Island under its all-embracing Guano Island Act. However, due to the fact that the island was already inhabited by its own resident population, the American claim was relinquished in 1980 in favor of the Cook islands administration.
In advance of an approaching disastrous wind storm, Cyclone Martin, 400 people on the island of Manihiki were airlifted out to safety in November 1997. A small communication radio station was installed on Manihiki in 1937, though it was significantly larger in fact than the one on Pukapuka Island. Then, around 2009, a small downlink FM transmitter was installed, replacing a small mediumwave transmitter for the relay of programming from Radio Cook Islands on the capital city island.

It was on March 2, 1606 that the Spanish explorer Pedro Fernandes de Queirós visited Rakahanga Island. He was the first European to set foot upon any of the islands in the Cook archipelago, and he stated that 500 people assembled on the beach to greet him. The population these days is just 77. The Catholic Friar Fray Martin de Munilla, voyaging with de Queirós, described this island as the Island of Beautiful People.

This island of Rakahanga in the Northern Cook Islands has a downlink FM relay station operating on 90.6 FM. This low powered FM station replaced an earlier small mediumwave relay station, and the newer FM unit was first noted in the WRTVHB in 2009. The island also operates a communication station on shortwave, and the Resident Agent representing the national government, is also the operator of this important communication link.

We visit next Penrhyn Atoll which is the northernmost island in the Cook Islands, and it is our final destination in today’s radio tour of the Cook Islands. Penryhn is the largest atoll in the Cook Islands, larger than all other Cook islands combined, and it is surrounded by a 50 mile circle of fossilized coral. The lagoon at Penrhyn Atoll is described as one of the largest in the world.

Penrhyn Island was named on August 8, 1788, in honor of the transport ship Lady Penrhyn which was one of the 11 ships that sailed from England’s Isle of Wight to found the first European colony on the continent of Australia. At the time of the discovery of Penrhyn Island, the Lady Penrhyn was supposed to be en route from Australia to China to take on a cargo of tea destined for sale in England, but it was considerably off course. The word Penrhyn is a Welsh word meaning peninsula.
In 1864, it is stated that as many as 1,000 men, women and children from Penrhyn Island were transported to Peru in South America, where they were forced into manual labor in the mining and guano industries. It is also reported that none of these Polynesian people ever returned to their homeland after Peru abolished slavery.

A small communication radio station was officially opened on Penrhyn on June 2, 1937 for communication with the New Zealand administration on the main Rarotonga Island. Give three more years, and the first American service personnel arrived as part of the Pacific War. The first contingent were Signal Corp personnel who arrived in December 1941 and they installed a radio station for communication with airplanes and with headquarters back in the United States.
In November 1942, Penrhyn Island was flooded with new people when 1,000 Americans arrived for the construction and support of an army and navy airfield. During the war, an American Liberator plane crash landed on Penryhn after it was damaged during a bombing run in the Pacific. Part of one engine is about all that is now left from this once proud airplane. The last American forces personnel left Penrhyn on September 20, 1946.

We find the first listing for a downlink FM relay station on Penrhyn in the WRTVHB for 1990. This low powered slave relay station on 95.3 MHz likewise replaced a similar low powered mediumwave transmitter.

For those who are avid stamp collectors, Penrhyn Island has issued three different types of postage stamps during the past more than one century, and were printed and specifically identified with the island name as Penrhyn. (AWR-Wavescan/NWS 398)

Solar activity was low very low on 10-11 Oct and 15-16 Oct. Activity was at low levels on 12-14 Oct, with the strongest flare, a C1 at 13/2105 UTC, occurring from around the east limb. Region 2599 (S15, L=144, class/area Cko/460 on 05 Oct) was the only numbered region to produce a C-class flare; a C1/Sf at 12/1155 UTC. On 14 Oct, two filament eruptions were observed in GONG and SDO/AIA imagery in the NE quadrant. Around 14/1500 UTC, a five degree long filament erupted along a channel centered near N01E30. Later, around 14/2230 UTC, a ten degree long filament erupted along a channel centered near N09E45. No associated CME signatures were observed in availablecoronagraph imagery.

No proton events were observed at geosynchronous orbit. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit was at normal background levels on 13-14 Oct. Moderate levels were observedon 11-12 Oct. High levels were reached on 10 Oct, and 14-16 Oct. Geomagnetic field activity during the reporting period ranged from quiet to major storm (G2-Moderate) levels. Quiet to unsettled levelswere observed on 10 Oct and tapered down to quiet levels until late on 12 Oct, when unsettled levels were observed from the onset of the 08 Oct CME. Unsettled to levels continued into 13 Oct, increasing to G2 (Moderate) storm levels late on 13 Oct and into early on 14 Oct. Minor (G1-Minor) storm levels gave way to unsettled and then quiet conditions as 14 Oct progressed. Quiet to unsettled levels persisted over 15-16 Oct, increasing to G1 (Minor) storm levels once again, late on 16 Oct, in response to the onset of a negative polarity CH HSS.

The solar wind environment was at near-background levels from 10-12 Oct. Late on 12 Oct, an enhancement was observed after 12/2120 UTC, marking the arrival of a CME from a filament eruption centered near N38E40 on 08 Oct. During the sheath, a moderate increase in solarwind speed was observed, increasing from an ambient 370 km/s to an enhanced 400-445 km/s. Total magnetic field strength ranged from 2-10 nT. The Bz component displayed a primarily northwardorientation. Around 13/0520 UTC, enhancements in the solar wind suggested the transitions from the sheath to the CME driver. Density dropped and total magnetic field strength steadily increased to apeak of 24 nT around 13/2200 UTC. The Bz component rotated in a sustained far southward orientation, with a slow rotation northward beginning around 13/2200 UTC. Solar wind speeds were relatively modest, ranging from around 380-450 km/s during the event. Solar wind parameters slowly declined towards background conditions through 15 Oct. Early on 16 Oct, the onset of a negative polarity CH HSS was observed. Solar wind speeds steadily increased, reaching peak wind speeds around 750 km/s as the reporting period ended.

Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 17 October - 12 November 2016

Solar activity is expected to be very low with a chance for C-class flare activity throughout the outlook period. No proton events are expected at geosynchronous orbit. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to reach moderate levels on 21-23 Oct and 7-11 Nov; high levels on 17-20 Oct, 25-26, 30 Oct - 06 Nov, and 12 Nov; very high levels on 27-29 Oct. Enhancement in the 2 MeV electron flux is anticipated as a result of multiple, recurrent CH HSSs.
Geomagnetic field activity is likely to reach major storm (G2-Moderate) levels on 17 Oct due to elevated winds from the influence of a negative polarity coronal hole. Conditions are expected to decrease to active by 18 Oct, and quiet to unsettled conditions on 19 Oct, as the negative polarity CH HSS wanes. Active conditions are again likely on 22 Oct with the onset of recurrent, positive polarity CH HSS. Conditions are forecast to reach minor (G1-Minor) storm levels on 23 Oct and G2 storm levels from 24-26 Oct as solar wind speeds expected to climb. G1 storm conditions are likely from 27-31 Oct, and active conditions by 01 Nov, as the CH HSS slowly subsides. Quiet conditions are likely from 02-10 Nov under an ambient solar wind regime. Unsettled conditions on 11 Novare likely to give way to G1 storm conditions on 12 Nov as another negative polarity CH HSS is anticipated to enhance the near-Earth space environment.

Friday, October 14, 2016

Last weekend's Hawaii lava as received by
Anatoly in Russia, Saturday 1600-1630 UTC, 17580 kHz.

Hello friends,The "unadvertised" MFSK32 signal made another appearance last weekend. Chris in England heard and decoded MFSK32 from the unknown station at 1555 UTC. Reception was difficult partly because the VOA carrier from North Carolina starts at about 1545 UTC, and it was strong into Europe last weekend. Please listen for, decode, and record if possible any strange MFSK32 signals just before or after the VOA Radiogram broadcast Saturday at 1600-1630 on 17580 kHz.
This weekend's VOA Radiogram will be all MFSK32. An image after the closing announcement shows the effects of flooding in North Carolina, near the transmitter site, following Hurricane Matthew. That will be followed by ASCII art (use monospace font such as Courier or Consolas). A small logo image and the waterfall ID will be seen after the closing music (I had an extra minute to fill).
Here is the lineup for VOA Radiogram, program 185, 15-16 October 2016, all in MFSK32 centered on1500 Hz:
1:51 Program preview3:02 Will electric cars dominate in wealthy cities by 2030?*8:26 Turkey questions historical treaty defining borders*15:54 ARRL comments on FCC amateur radio digital mode rules* 23:34 Closing announcements** with image
Please send reception reports to radiogram@voanews.com
VOA Radiogram transmission schedule(all days and times UTC):Sat 0930-1000 5745 kHzSat 1600-1630 17580 kHzSun 0230-0300 5745 kHzSun 1930-2000 15670 kHzAll via the Edward R. Murrow transmitting station in North Carolina.
The Mighty KBC will transmit to North America Sunday 0000-0200 UTC (Saturday 8-10 pm EDT) on 6145 kHz, via Germany. A minute of MFSK32 will be at about 0130 UTC. Reports to Eric: themightykbc@gmail.com . DigiDX will transmit MFSK32 and probably other modes:Sunday 2130-2200 UTC, 15770 kHz, via WRMI FloridaSunday 2330-2400 UTC, 11580 kHz, via WRMI FloridaMonday 2000-2130 UTC, 6070 kHz, via Channel 292 Germany For schedule updates, visit DigiDX at http://www.digidx.uk/ or https://www.facebook.com/digidx/
IBC (Italian Broadcasting Corporation) has a broadcast to Europe on 6070 kHz, Wednesdays, at the new time of 1800-2100 UTC. The MFSK32 and Olivia 16-500 are still at 2030-2100 UTC. IBC has also added a medium wave transmission Saturday 2000-2030 UTC from Radio Studio X, 1584 kHz, in Terni, Italy, with MFSK32 at 2025-2030. IBC also has MFSK32 transmissions via WRMI in Florida: Friday 0125-0200 UTC on 9955 kHz (Thursday 9:25 pm EDT), part of its 0100-0130 broadcast. And Saturday at 0155-0200 UTC (Friday evening 9:55 pm EDT), on 11580 kHz, part of its 0130-0200 broadcast. See http://ibcradio.webs.com/ for the complete schedule and contact information
VOA shortwave to Haiti. The VOA Creole (Kreyòl) Service for Haiti is (as I write this) transmitting on shortwave in support of Hurricane Matthew relief efforts. The schedule is daily 2000-2030 UTC on 11720 and 15220 kHz, via the North Carolina transmitting station.
Thanks for your reports from last weekend, during which reception conditions were unusually good. I'm still responding to program 181 reception reports.
I hope you can tune and write in this weekend.Kim Andrew ElliottProducer and PresenterVOA Radiogramvoaradiogram.netTwitter: @VOARadiogram (especially active during and after broadcasts)

Radio City via Secretbrod, Bulgaria - 50 KW:
Saturday 15th October at 08.00 to 09.00 on 9510 kHz via IRRS
Saturday 22nd October at 12.00 to 13.00 on 7265 kHz via Hamburger Lokalradio
Every Saturday at 19.00 to 20.00 on 1485 via Radio Merkurs in Riga, Latvia.
Each service has separate programs and also separate QSL letters.
Additionally IRRS often use old programs as fillers, especially Saturdays on 9510 kHz.
Challenger Radio in Italy may also use old programs as fillers, not necessarily starting at the top of the hour.
Contact address remains: citymorecars@yahoo.ca

For outside the listening area please try the Twente/Netherlands Web RX at http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/
You can also hear many European free and alternative stations via the Internet at: http://laut.fm/jukebox
Radio Channel 292 Transmission schedules:
http://www.channel292.de/schedule-for-bookings/
Radio Mi Amigo Transmission schedules:
www.radiomiamigo.es/shortwave
Good Listening!
(Tom Taylor)

No proton events were observed at geosynchronous orbit. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit was at high levels during the entire summary period. A maximum of 32,138pfu was observed at 03/1640 UTC. Geomagnetic field activity was highlighted by mostly unsettled to active levels on 03-05 Oct. An isolated minor storm (G1-Minor) period was observed early on 04 Oct. Mostly quiet levels were observed from 04-09 Oct with isolated unsettled and active periodswere observed early on 07 and 08 Oct, respectively. The enhanced geomagnetic activity was due to high speed winds from a recurrent positive polarity coronal hole. Some further enhancement occurred early on 04 Oct due to CME effects from an eruptive filament observed early on 01 Oct.

The solar wind environment began the period at about 500 km/s, increased to near 600 km/s midday on 04 Oct and slowly decreased to end the period at about 370 km/s. Total field generally ranged from 2-6 nT with a peak of 10 nt observed midday on 04 Oct. The Bz component was mostly variable between +/- 6 nT. Phi angle was in a general positive orientation throughout the period.

Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 10 October - 05 November 2016
Solar activity is expected to be at very low levels with a chance for C-class flare activity throughout the outlook period. No proton events are expected at geosynchronous orbit. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to be at high levels on 10-11, 16-18, 24-26, 30-31 Oct and 01-06 Nov increasing to very high levels on 27-29 Oct. This is due to the anticipated influence of multiple, recurrent CH HSSs. Normal to moderate levels are expected for the remainder of the outlook period.

Geomagnetic field activity is expected to be at unsettled to active levels on 11-18, 23-31 Oct and 01 Nov. G1 (Minor) field activity is possible on 13-15, 17 and 23-31 Oct with G2 (Moderate) levels possible on 24-26 Oct. This activity is due to the anticipated influence of multiple, recurrent CH HSSs. Additional enhancement to the field is expected on 13-14 Oct due to CME effects from the 08Oct filament eruption. Generally quiet to unsettled conditions are expected for the remainder of the outlook period.

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

This year, the General Assembly of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union will mark a significant event, as the Digital Radio Mondiale Consortium has announced it will be bringing the first live digital radio signal transmission to Cuba, the Caribbean region and parts of northern Latin America, and even as far north as Florida.

The broadcast will come from the BBC via its Atlantic Relay station through the services of Babcock International. DRM says the transmission will be in the 13 meter-band on 21720 kHz and will carry BBC World Service programs in English. Additional multimedia features of DRM will also be demonstrated on radio receiver screens.